Two races for seats on Pennsylvania’s higher courts are up for grabs in Tuesday’s General Election of 2025. Otherwise, voters in Carbon and Schuylkill counties have no decisions to make with regard to county positions to be filled this year by the electorate.

It is arguably the first time there are no contested races in both counties for row office positions. Otherwise, voters in some municipalities and school districts will see contested races at those levels, but they too are scarce.

State judges

In at-large voting, voters in the two counties will participate in the balloting for 10-year terms for a Justice of the Supreme Court and a Judge of the Commonwealth Court.

In the Supreme Court balloting, the candidates are Democrat Brandon Neuman, Republican Maria Battista and Libertarian Daniel Wassmer.

The Commonwealth Court candidates are Democrat Stella Tsai and Republican Matt Wolford.

Carbon County

There are three Carbon row offices on the ballot this time around and three Republican officeholders seeking re-election to four-year terms are all unopposed.

They include Treasurer Kevin Zelienka, Clerk of Courts Tyra L. Boni and Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans Court Jean A. Papay.

Schuylkill County

For as long as anyone can remember, this is the first time ever that there is a race for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas up for grabs without opposition.

Sitting District Magistrate Andrew Serina will become the county’s next judge, as he was unopposed on both the Democratic and Republican ballots in the Primary Election and appears on both ballots this time.

There are two county row offices to be filled, those being sheriff and district attorney.

Shawn Butler and Michael O’Pake are the respective candidates for the four-year terms and are without opposition. Like Serina, they also will appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots.

There is one contested race in the county, although it is not in the Times News coverage area.

Democrat Tim Seip and Republican Christian Lengel are the candidates for a six-year term as magisterial district judge in District 21-3-04, which is in the Pine Grove area of the county.

Ballot questions

Meanwhile, there are five referendum questions concerning judicial retentions on the ballots.

Requiring a “yes” or “no” vote for each of them, the questions ask if Christine Donohue, Kevin M. Dougherty and David Wecht should be retained for additional 10-year terms on the Supreme Court; if Alice Beck Dubow shall continue for another 10 years as Judge of the Superior Court; and if Michael H. Wojcik shall be retained for another 10 years as Judge of the Commonwealth Court.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Information about candidates at the municipality levels in area races appeared in previous stories in the Times News.